LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon Trekking Poles

Perfect for year-round outdoor adventures, the LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon offers maximum collapsibility and high-end performance for any and all conditions. Hybrid aluminum and carbon construction balances weight and durability.

These are LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon trekking poles. Really interesting hybrid designs on these poles. You have got aluminum and carbon construction, maximum collapsibility at a nice light weight. Still a full range of adjustability makes these a really great option for year round use.
As I mentioned the TourStick Vario Carbon uses both aluminum and carbon construction. So you have got carbon construction on the upper sections. The lower sections are con-structed of aluminum. This balances weight and performance. So these poles come in at just 19, just a fraction over 19 ounces for the pair. But down low where you might be running into areas of concern in terms of abrasion and hitting, you have got more durable construction there in the aluminum.
Certainly another stand out feature is the collapsibility here. Basically 15 and a half inch-es of collapsibility. So that is much smaller than you would find in a typical telescoping pole where the shaft sections are embedded within each other.
The connection point on these sections is a surprisingly strong Kevlar cording. So you in-troduce each section into the section above it, pull it until it clicks. There is a positive lock there. Then you actually have a range of adjustability here on the upper section that rang-es from 45 inches up to 53 inches in length. That adjustability isn’t always something you find in a pole of this design. A lot of times you are looking at a fixed length on collapsible verses telescoping poles. But LEKI has built in their speed lock mechanism and gives you that range. You will see noted lengths on the grip. So you have an idea exactly where you are setting that. Simple closure of the flick lock and the poles are locked securely in place.
Nice grips on the TourStick poles. Again, on the maximum collapsible, lightweight poles sometimes you are seeing some really narrow diameter or minimalistic grips, but that is not the case on these poles. You have got LEKI’s Air Gone Thermafoam grips. So some texturing here, some extended length which enables you to grab the pole. That is in dif-ferent spots. That comes in handy if you are going on side hills, traversing where one moment you are turned this way and you want the pole a little longer. You turn the other way you want that flipped around. So that is a nice feature. Also with gloved hands in winter just another nice place to grab it as you are making adjustments.
That Air Gone grip, there is some dimpling there which, again, just a nice tactile grip. It also fits ideally in the palm of your hand. Sometimes there is instances where that actually makes sense rather than grabbing it here. You are over top of it. Really nice ergonomic design there. You have got fully padded straps, which take the wear and tear out of your wrists, kind of save your wrists over the course of the day. You have got vibration that is traveling the whole way up the poles until it hits your wrists. That takes the brunt of that vibration. There is also some adjustability here in the top of the poles so you can change that setting on the wrist strap so that it fits you most comfortably.
The poles do have LEKI’s carbide flex tips. That carbide tip end there gives a nice bite certainly on trails, also in snow. If you were using it in improved surfaces, you would probably want to actually invest in tip protectors or walking tips. Those are sold separate-ly.
That flex tip is designed in such a fashion that should you ever get the poles wedged in between, you know, cracks between a rock or something, that is designed to break away in that instance and is replicable. That is definitely preferable to having a pole shaft sec-tion break on you. So smart design there.
This basket, pretty broad diameter here at the bottom. Got some neat coloring to it. Kind of a retro basket. Broader in diameter than a standard summer basket, it actually gives these poles some nice all season versatility. When I say that, because it is broader than a standard basket, if you were using this on snow, if you were using this in really soft mud, as you press down on these poles, that is going to slow. It is going to give it resistance. So instead of driving these poles so deeply into the ground that they are not doing what you need them to do, it slows that resistance. I really like that feature. It still can be taken off as is the case with many LEKI poles. You can invest in smaller summer baskets and even broader snow or powder baskets. Those thread on there. Again, increasing the potential versatility of the TourStick poles.
LEKI does include a nylon stuff sack with each pair of TourStick Vario Carbon poles. Nice little addition there safely stores the poles. It does have a second draw string here. When this thing is in use, it really cinches down to next to nothing. So you can throw this inside your pack for when you get where you are going.
Really neat hybrid design on these poles. I always am skeptical when I hear the word hy-brid that you are getting a product that is ok at this and ok at that, but doesn’t really shine at any one task. These poles really do do a great job, certainly during summer, spring, fall for hiking, for trekking. But because of those baskets, because of that collapsible design these are going to be great options in snow as well.
The LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon trekking poles, an excellent option for year round use.

Details

Perfect for year-round outdoor adventures, the LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon offers maximum collapsibility and high-end performance for any and all conditions. Hybrid aluminum and carbon construction balances weight and durability.

Incorporating an ergonomic angle that preserves a natural position for your wrists, lightweight AERGON Thermofoam Tour grips have an ovoid shape that can be palmed or held traditionally. A rubberized, dimpled top offers a textured grip point and easy-adjust straps reduce stress on your wrists and provide additional security and comfort. The extended length of the grips allows you to grasp lower on the shaft, eliminating the need to shorten the length of the poles every time you encounter a steep slope or side hill traverse.

A PE-coated Kevlar tension cord connects five pole sections, allowing the TourStick Vario Carbon to collapse to a mere 15.5" and expand to its full height with a single-pull assembly. The uppermost section of the pole employs a SpeedLock external locking system to offer a usable adjustability range of 45.25-53 inches. The upper shafts are constructed of sleek, lightweight carbon fiber while the lower shafts are made of aluminum to guard against edge cuts.

Carbide flex tips deflect up to 30 degrees without damaging the lower pole sections. This reduces the risk of pole breakage if poles get caught between rocks or tree roots on the trail. Broad retro-Bandit baskets are included for on-trail or moderate, packed snow. A simple screw on/off design keeps the baskets secure and allows you to swap in lower profile trekking baskets or broader Deep Powder baskets (both sold separately).

Sold in pairs, LEKI TourStick Vario Carbon trekking poles are available in size options.